sulky
Americanadjective
-
marked by or given to sulking; sullen.
- Antonyms:
- good-natured, good-humored
-
gloomy or dull.
sulky weather.
noun
adjective
-
sullen, withdrawn, or moody, through or as if through resentment
-
dull or dismal
sulky weather
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of sulky
1735–45; akin to Old English solcen- lazy (in solcennes laziness), Frisian (N dial.) sulkig sulky
Explanation
Someone who's sulky is gloomy, or quietly unhappy. A sulky teenager is generally not a lot of fun at a family party. Some people tend to be sulky when they're unhappy or disappointed — when you're sulky, you're not just sad, but you mope and frown and sigh. You might be sulky if your brother gets to travel to England and you don't, or if your coworker gets a promotion instead of you. Sulky probably comes from an Old English word, asolcen, "idle, lazy, or slow," which has a Proto-Germanic root.
Vocabulary lists containing sulky
Emotions on Display
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
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The Bridge Home
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It's a good thing for Manchester United that 'Old Sulky Pants', Cristiano Ronaldo, will not be involved after throwing his toys out of the pram against Spurs.
From BBC • Oct. 21, 2022
Now, it was only Gaines and Kodi in the apartment on Sulky Court, and an increasing number — eventually dozens — of tactical, hostage negotiation and patrol officers outside.
From Washington Post • Nov. 5, 2016
Sulky, petulant, wary — all these initially seem true of Barbara, so much so that you may forget that this unflattering, condescending characterization has been made by a Stasi operative.
From New York Times • Dec. 20, 2012
Sulky Giovani Dos Santos is considering quitting Mexico's World Cup squad following the omission of his brother Jonathan.
From The Guardian • Jun. 1, 2010
Sulky and pouting, she was led into the parlour, picking at her blue pinafore like a spoiled infant.
From The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories by Dunbar-Nelson, Alice Moore
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
